Skull Candy

THE HYT SKull red Maori

It certainly is an unusual watch. A stylised skull, decorated in Maori motifs, stares out from the dial; there is no hand to indicate the time, instead a capillary carries a fluid that flows to mark the passing of time.

HYT – the young, brash and exciting Neuchâtel-based watchmaker that uses only fluids to tell time – first introduced its Skull Watch series in January 2015. The skull, looking a bit like Iron Man’s mask, takes up most of the dial, circled by Arabic numerals at the rim. The capillary runs around the edge of the skull, denoting the time. Its eyes also serve a purpose – the left eye hides a subtle seconds dial, while the right eye indicates the power reverse.

The original Skull Watch series came in three variants. As its name suggests, the Skull Green Eye uses a green liquid. The Red Eye, naturally, uses red, available in two variants – with a plain skull face or one that is studded with diamonds.

The new Skull Red Eye Maori uses the Red Eye as a basis, and then jets off to New Zealand for its special edition inspiration. The Maori has its skull hand-engraved with Moko, traditional Maori body art, a metier d’art that elevates a watch that was originally exceptional to begin with. The Maori tattoo motif extends even to the strap, subtly laser engraved onto brown leather.